Article written by our guest, Nikki DeRosa

https://www.todaysdietitian.com/flexible-meal-planning-for-autism-and-adhd/

Most “healthy eating” advice is built for brains with steady energy, easy task initiation, and predictable appetite cues. If you live with ADHD, autism, or other forms of neurodivergence, that gap can turn food into a daily stressor and it can make eating disorder recovery even harder. We’re joined by registered dietitian Nikki DeRosa to unpack what neurodivergent-affirming nutrition actually looks like when you stop forcing one-size-fits-all rules and start designing support around real barriers.

We talk through the tricky clinical question: how do you tell the neurodivergent brain from the eating disorder brain without invalidating someone or letting the disorder “drive the bus”? Nikki shares how she looks for patterns over time, why she builds rapport before challenging, and how sensory needs, executive functioning, and interoceptive awareness can shape eating. You’ll also hear why shame is a short-lived motivator, how immediate benefits beat distant health promises, and why “convincing yourself” works better than bullying yourself.

Then we get practical with neurodivergent meal planning: lowering the number of steps, cutting decision fatigue, keeping six backup meals on hand, and even rolling a dice when your brain locks up. Nikki breaks down her simple framework for satisfaction and fullness: fat, fiber, protein, and a wow factor. We also connect spoon theory to food prep and explain why low-spoon dinners need low-spoon options.

If you find this helpful, subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share the episode with someone who needs neurodivergent-friendly nutrition support. What strategy are you going to try first?

Show notes:

Trigger warning: this show is not medical, nutrition, or mental health treatment and is not a replacement for meeting with a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Mental Health Provider, or any other medical provider. You can find resources for how to find a provider, as well as crisis resources, in the show notes. Listener discretion is advised.

Resource links:

Alliance for Eating Disorders: https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/

ANAD: https://anad.org/

NEDA: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

NAMI: https://nami.org/home

Action Alliance: https://theactionalliance.org/

NIH: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/

How to find a provider:

https://map.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

https://www.healthprofs.com/us/nutritionists-dietitians?tr=Hdr_Brand

Suicide & crisis awareness hotline: call 988 (available 24/7)

Eating Disorder hotline: call or text 800-931-2237 (Phone line is available Monday-Thursday 11 am-9 pm ET and Friday 11 am-5 pm ET; text line is available Monday-Thursday 3-6 pm ET and Friday 1-5 pm ET)

If you are experiencing a psychiatric or medical emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

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A “healthy” diet can turn into a cage so slowly you don’t notice until your world gets smaller. After seeing orthorexia pop up in Scrubs, we pull the camera back and talk about what orthorexia actually looks like in real life, why it’s so easy to praise at first, and why the harm is still real even though orthorexia isn’t an official DSM diagnosis.

We unpack the overlap between orthorexia and anorexia nervosa, including restriction, body image pressure, and the relentless anxiety that comes from rigid food rules. We also dig into the details that make orthorexia feel unique, like the obsession with “clean eating,” ingredient labels, processed food fear, and the way flexibility disappears. Then we talk about the medical side that gets overlooked, including how severe restriction can lead to nutrient deficiencies that sound rare today, like vitamin C deficiency and scurvy.

From there, we get honest about the social media problem: Instagram diets, trend plans, and Skinny Talk content that weaponizes words like intuitive eating to disguise restriction. We share practical ways to protect your brain from search spirals, why we’d rather you talk to a registered dietitian or qualified therapist than Google or ChatGPT, and how recovery gives you your life back, not just “better willpower.” If you’re ready for more grounded, evidence-based support around eating disorder recovery, nutrition, and body image, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a rating and review.

Show notes:

Trigger warning: this show is not medical, nutrition, or mental health treatment and is not a replacement for meeting with a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Mental Health Provider, or any other medical provider. You can find resources for how to find a provider, as well as crisis resources, in the show notes. Listener discretion is advised.

Resource links:

Alliance for Eating Disorders: https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/

ANAD: https://anad.org/

NEDA: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

NAMI: https://nami.org/home

Action Alliance: https://theactionalliance.org/

NIH: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/

How to find a provider:

https://map.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

https://www.healthprofs.com/us/nutritionists-dietitians?tr=Hdr_Brand

Suicide & crisis awareness hotline: call 988 (available 24/7)

Eating Disorder hotline: call or text 800-931-2237 (Phone line is available Monday-Thursday 11 am-9 pm ET and Friday 11 am-5 pm ET; text line is available Monday-Thursday 3-6 pm ET and Friday 1-5 pm ET)

If you are experiencing a psychiatric or medical emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

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Spring break is supposed to feel like a break, yet for so many of us it turns into a countdown of food rules, body checking, and “vacation ready” pressure. We’re talking about travel nutrition and body image in a way that’s realistic, compassionate, and grounded in what actually helps. If you’ve ever tried to restrict before a trip and ended up more bloated, more constipated, more anxious, and more distracted by food, you’re not alone and you’re not broken.

We walk through our go-to travel framework: adequacy, consistency, and variety. Adequacy and consistency keep your energy, digestion, and mood steadier while you’re away, and variety lets you enjoy the whole point of traveling: new foods, cultural experiences, and memories you’ll actually want to keep. We also unpack why eating totally differently on weekends or vacations can be a sign of diet culture and an undernourish-overnourish cycle that makes Mondays feel like punishment.

Then we get practical with body image. We share a simple packing tool we love using with clients: a “fashion show” where you choose outfits for good body image days, in-between days, and hard days, so you’re not problem-solving in a hotel mirror. We also talk planning that supports recovery without turning into control, like looking at menus ahead of time or practicing foods before you go. If you need one takeaway, let it be this: your body is worth the vacation. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s traveling, and leave a review telling us what helps you feel more present on trips.

Show notes:

Trigger warning: this show is not medical, nutrition, or mental health treatment and is not a replacement for meeting with a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Mental Health Provider, or any other medical provider. You can find resources for how to find a provider, as well as crisis resources, in the show notes. Listener discretion is advised.

Resource links:

Alliance for Eating Disorders: https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/

ANAD: https://anad.org/

NEDA: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

NAMI: https://nami.org/home

Action Alliance: https://theactionalliance.org/

NIH: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/

How to find a provider:

https://map.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

https://www.healthprofs.com/us/nutritionists-dietitians?tr=Hdr_Brand

Suicide & crisis awareness hotline: call 988 (available 24/7)

Eating Disorder hotline: call or text 800-931-2237 (Phone line is available Monday-Thursday 11 am-9 pm ET and Friday 11 am-5 pm ET; text line is available Monday-Thursday 3-6 pm ET and Friday 1-5 pm ET)

If you are experiencing a psychiatric or medical emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Support the show

A bathroom scale can become a judge, a ritual, and a cage and most people suffering from disordered eating learn to hide it well. We sit down with McCall Dempsey, founder of Southern Smash and a National Alliance for Eating Disorders advocate, and Johanna Scoglio, author of *When the Water Still Holds Me* and founder of A Dragonfly’s Dream, to talk about what happens when recovery stops being private and starts becoming community.

We get into Rally For Recovery and why it’s built differently: a morning focused on hope, connection, and real support, with creative grounding activities, trauma-informed yoga, mindful movement, local treatment and clinician resources, and the catharsis of scale smashing. McCall shares how Southern Smash grew out of a 15-year eating disorder battle and how a simple sequence of reflections can help people loosen the grip of diet culture, perfectionism, and body image shame.

We also talk about eating disorders in athletes, the pressure of weigh-ins, and why coaches and leadership can either fuel harm or create safer environments through small, practical language shifts. Johanna brings a harm reduction and mind-body-spirit lens that makes space for complexity, long-term healing, and the truth that recovery isn’t linear. Along the way, we highlight the Alliance’s free clinician-answered referrals to care, therapist-led support groups, and the expansion to support options seven days a week.

Listen, share this with someone who needs a little more hope today, and then subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what part of recovery you want to feel less alone in.

Show notes:

Trigger warning: this show is not medical, nutrition, or mental health treatment and is not a replacement for meeting with a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Mental Health Provider, or any other medical provider. You can find resources for how to find a provider, as well as crisis resources, in the show notes. Listener discretion is advised.

Event link: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/2026raleighrally/

Resource links:

Alliance for Eating Disorders: https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/

For questions about The Alliance’s free referral services, or more information about The Alliance’s other specialized services, please reach out to The Alliance at 866.662.1235 or info@allianceforeatingdisorders.com.

https://www.findedhelp.com/ is the country's largest database of ED providers and treatment centers.

How to find a provider:

https://map.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

https://www.healthprofs.com/us/nutritionists-dietitians?tr=Hdr_Brand

Suicide & crisis awareness hotline: call 988 (available 24/7)

Eating Disorder hotline: call or text 800-931-2237 (Phone line is available Monday-Thursday 11 am-9 pm ET and Friday 11 am-5 pm ET; text line is available Monday-Thursday 3-6 pm ET and Friday 1-5 pm ET)

If you are experiencing a psychiatric or medical emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Support the show

What if yoga stopped asking you to earn your place and started meeting you where you already are? We sit down with Emily Anderson, a Pittsburgh-based yoga therapist and founder of All Bodies Welcome Yoga, to rethink movement through nervous system care, clear consent, and radical inclusion. No more “all levels” as code for bootcamp. No more stock-photo diversity without real access. This is yoga as a healing practice, not a performance.

Emily traces her path from sweaty power vinyasa to a therapeutic approach that brought amputees, pregnant students, folks with Parkinson’s, and people living with chronic pain into the same welcoming space. We talk through the nuts and bolts: writing honest class descriptions, modeling chair and mat versions side by side, and using opt-in systems for touch so consent is real, not performative. She shows how to teach poses by purpose—grounding, balance, ease—rather than by aesthetics, making yoga adaptable for disabled, fat, aging, and neurodivergent bodies without diluting its depth.

We also confront the culture around movement: diet-industry messaging, resolution season pressure, and GLP-1 ads that co-opt liberation language while selling shame. Emily offers a different path—building interoception and body trust, closing stress cycles, and treating somatic practice as preventative health. We dig into financial accessibility, from sliding scale policies to why corporate studios stay expensive while paying teachers little, and we spotlight Emily’s upcoming yoga therapy group focused on menstrual health and perimenopause.

If you’ve ever felt invisible in a studio, rushed by cues, or judged for your body, this conversation is a breath of fresh air. You deserve movement that honors consent, clarity, and choice. Listen, share with a friend who needs it, and then tell us: what would make movement feel truly safe for you? Subscribe, leave a review, and help more people find a yoga space that finally fits.

Show notes:

Trigger warning: this show is not medical, nutrition, or mental health treatment and is not a replacement for meeting with a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Mental Health Provider, or any other medical provider. You can find resources for how to find a provider, as well as crisis resources, in the show notes. Listener discretion is advised.

Resource links:

ANAD: https://anad.org/

NEDA: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

NAMI: https://nami.org/home

Action Alliance: https://theactionalliance.org/

NIH: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/

How to find a provider:

https://map.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

https://www.healthprofs.com/us/nutritionists-dietitians?tr=Hdr_Brand

Suicide & crisis awareness hotline: call 988 (available 24/7)

Eating Disorder hotline: call or text 800-931-2237 (Phone line is available Monday-Thursday 11 am-9 pm ET and Friday 11 am-5 pm ET; text line is available Monday-Thursday 3-6 pm ET and Friday 1-5 pm ET)

If you are experiencing a psychiatric or medical emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Support the show

A glossy show sold us aspiration; the documentary showed us the bill. We revisit America’s Next Top Model with clear eyes and full context, unpacking how a franchise turned vulnerability into spectacle and then tried to hide behind “it was the times.” As two providers who grew up watching, we connect the dots between what we saw as kids—thinness worship, racial caricatures, manufactured humiliation—and what our clients navigate now: diet culture, body surveillance, and the pressure to perform pain for attention.

Across our conversation, we look at accountability that never quite lands. Why does “reality check” feel like PR instead of repair? We name the moments that still sit in the gut: the shoots that romanticized violence and eating disorders, the public berating of contestants’ bodies, and the insistence that suffering equals good television. Then we move beyond outrage to action, outlining what true accountability would look like in fashion and reality TV: trauma-informed production, on-set mental health and nutrition care, bans on dehumanizing creative concepts, transparent reporting channels, and compensation for broken promises.

We also talk about the long tail of early-2000s media on a generation’s self-worth. Even listeners in smaller bodies internalized “never enough” lessons, while many of us learned to comment on bodies before character. With social media replaying the same patterns at scale, we offer practical media literacy for families: how to set viewing boundaries, diversify your feed, spot harm in “aspirational” content, and protect kids from body surveillance disguised as empowerment.

If you’ve ever felt unsettled by the way beauty is packaged, this conversation gives language, validation, and next steps. Listen to reflect, to unlearn, and to choose better stories going forward. If our take resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who watched ANTM, and leave a review with the one moment you think demands real accountability next.

Show notes:

Trigger warning: this show is not medical, nutrition, or mental health treatment and is not a replacement for meeting with a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Mental Health Provider, or any other medical provider. You can find resources for how to find a provider, as well as crisis resources, in the show notes. Listener discretion is advised.

Resource links:

ANAD: https://anad.org/

NEDA: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

NAMI: https://nami.org/home

Action Alliance: https://theactionalliance.org/

NIH: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/

How to find a provider:

https://map.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

https://www.healthprofs.com/us/nutritionists-dietitians?tr=Hdr_Brand

Suicide & crisis awareness hotline: call 988 (available 24/7)

Eating Disorder hotline: call or text 800-931-2237 (Phone line is available Monday-Thursday 11 am-9 pm ET and Friday 11 am-5 pm ET; text line is available Monday-Thursday 3-6 pm ET and Friday 1-5 pm ET)

If you are experiencing a psychiatric or medical emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Support the show

What if recovery didn’t have to be perfect to be real? We’re joined by author Johanna Scoglio, whose new memoir, When the Water Still Holds Me: Letters Through the Tides of a Long-Term Eating Disorder, opens a candid window into life with a long-term eating disorder and the everyday courage it takes to heal. Johanna shares how shame kept her silent for years, how harm reduction and values-based choices gave her traction, and why support that sits beside you beats pressure that pushes. The story of Friday pizza nights leading to pizza in Italy reveals a practical, compassionate path: small exposures, steady presence, and a focus on what matters most.We dig into the myths that stall progress, like the idea that recovery must be symptom-free to count, and talk about creating definitions that fit real lives. Johanna speaks directly to loved ones about grieving the recovery story they imagined, then walking alongside with patience and flexibility. She also offers a thoughtful guide for teachers and coaches whose words shape how young people see food, bodies, and effort. From ditching “healthy vs unhealthy” lessons to normalizing rest and fueling, her advice shows how small shifts in language and modeling can change trajectories.For clinicians, Johanna highlights collaboration, autonomy, and the power of slowing down with clients on long journeys. She reflects on the unconditional hope that kept her moving and introduces A Dragonfly’s Dream, her peer-led nonprofit for adults navigating recurring or long-term eating disorders. The dragonfly, born in the dark, transformed in light, honors her grandmother and the quiet resilience many carry. If you’ve ever felt “too late” to heal, this conversation offers a different compass: define your why, take kinder steps, and let community hold you steady. Liked what you heard? Subscribe, share with a friend who needs hope today, and leave a review to help others find the show.

Show notes:

Trigger warning: this show is not medical, nutrition, or mental health treatment and is not a replacement for meeting with a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Mental Health Provider, or any other medical provider. You can find resources for how to find a provider, as well as crisis resources, in the show notes. Listener discretion is advised.

Resource links:

ANAD: https://anad.org/

NEDA: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

NAMI: https://nami.org/home

Action Alliance: https://theactionalliance.org/

NIH: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/

How to find a provider:

https://map.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

https://www.healthprofs.com/us/nutritionists-dietitians?tr=Hdr_Brand

Suicide & crisis awareness hotline: call 988 (available 24/7)

Eating Disorder hotline: call or text 800-931-2237 (Phone line is available Monday-Thursday 11 am-9 pm ET and Friday 11 am-5 pm ET; text line is available Monday-Thursday 3-6 pm ET and Friday 1-5 pm ET)

If you are experiencing a psychiatric or medical emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Support the show

If body talk leaves you tired, you’re not alone. We dig into the honest, nuanced space between loving your body and hating it—and why body neutrality can be the most freeing path forward. With one of us practicing as a therapist and the other as a dietitian, we blend emotional insight with practical nutrition tools to help you move through tough body days without sacrificing your life, your relationships, or your meals.

We start by defining body positivity, neutrality, and negativity in plain language, then show how diet culture twists “self-love” into a checklist you can never finish. Instead of chasing a look, we pivot toward function: How does your body help you show up today? What choices—enough food, steady snacks, hydration, rest—rebuild trust when image anxiety spikes? You’ll hear how counseling meets care at the table, from psychoeducation that calms the nervous system to meal rhythms that stabilize mood and keep you present when thoughts get loud.

Postpartum realities bring the conversation to heart-level. We talk about clothes fitting again as a win for expression, not worth; how to handle body comments with a simple thank you and a boundary; and why neutrality is essential during pregnancy’s uncontrollable changes. Stretch marks, shifting curves, new textures—none of it defines your value. Presence does. Your kid won’t remember your swimsuit size; they will remember you laughing in the pool.

If you’re ready to trade perfection for presence and pressure for respect, press play and join us. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs gentler body talk, and leave a review to tell us what part helped you most.

Show notes:

Trigger warning: this show is not medical, nutrition, or mental health treatment and is not a replacement for meeting with a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Mental Health Provider, or any other medical provider. You can find resources for how to find a provider, as well as crisis resources, in the show notes. Listener discretion is advised.

Resource links:

ANAD: https://anad.org/

NEDA: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

NAMI: https://nami.org/home

Action Alliance: https://theactionalliance.org/

NIH: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/

How to find a provider:

https://map.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

https://www.healthprofs.com/us/nutritionists-dietitians?tr=Hdr_Brand

Suicide & crisis awareness hotline: call 988 (available 24/7)

Eating Disorder hotline: call or text 800-931-2237 (Phone line is available Monday-Thursday 11 am-9 pm ET and Friday 11 am-5 pm ET; text line is available Monday-Thursday 3-6 pm ET and Friday 1-5 pm ET)

If you are experiencing a psychiatric or medical emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Support the show